GULF SHORES, Ala. – Brandan Franklin wants to make sure the word gets out about the city’s Relay for Life fundraiser Friday at City Hall.

“This Friday from 11 to 2 our Relay for Life team will be selling sausage dogs and hamburgers,” Franklin, the chief environmental and building official told the City Council on Monday. “I want to let everyone know, come Friday with a big appetite.”

Mayor Robert Craft wants to make sure the area is left spic and span after the sale.

“I would strong suggest that you clean up your mess,” Craft saidprompting uproarious laughter. “You understand? You’d lose all your money in fines.”

Craft had just finished the last portion of the meeting to voicing his displeasure with how the city’s beaches looked during and after the busy weekend when Franklin issued his reminder about the cookout.

Craft was encouraged by the huge crowds the city saw at the Public Beach during a spring break weekend. He was not encouraged by what they left behind.

“I’m disappointed with the amount of litter on our beaches in the past week and have spent a fair amount of time in staff meetings this morning on how to address that,” Craft said. “It’s on private property. I was down there Saturday morning and again Sunday and there were just beer cans and trash and litter and it’s not acceptable.”

And he was hitting on that point again, with tongue in cheek, after Franklin reminded those in attendance about the fundraiser.

“We’re not going to allow that,” Craft said. “You can tell I’m on a mission.”

Craft had just finished the last portion of the meeting to voicing his displeasure with how the city’s beaches looked during and after the weekend. And he is on a mission. One that he’ll be working on all week.

The problem areas, Craft said, were on private property.

“So we’re working with our police and the court system about how to approach this on private property and have suggested and plan on having a meeting with all our property management companies on Friday to get their input so that we’re all working together to not allow our beaches to look that way because it was just distressing to say the least,” Craft said.

“We’re going to be very, very aggressive to make this happen and send a strong message to the folks that are there that you can’t come here and act that way.”

Craft said the problem will be solved, but management companies will have to help out.

“Now we can’t expect the property management people to know how the people they rent to are going to act, but when they get here they can certainly understand that in Gulf Shores you’ve got to follow the rules and you’ve got to behave,” Craft said.

The mayor said the city will use the police to help battle the trash problem.

“It’s the same thing with the activities as it is with the littering,” Craft said. “And the police are top of that making sure the kids that are here have a good time but obey the laws. I know that there are others in the community that are very sensitive to these problems and we are, too. “

As for the cookout, burgers or sausage dogs are $5 or you can add chips and a drink for $7.

And put your napkin in the trash can. The mayor would appreciate it.